Electrical operating apparatus



April 17 1928.

J. M. SCHMIERER ELECTRICAL OPERATING APPARATUS Filed April 20, 19725 Patented Apr. 17,

JOIiTANNES MICHAEL SOHMIERER, OF GROSS-LIGHTERFELDE, NEAR BERLIN, GER- MANY, ASSIGNOR TO RADIO PATENTS CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A (LOB-- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL OPERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 20, 1925, Serial No. 24,662, and in Germany November 19, 1923.

lithe terminals of a glow light tube or e lamp are subjected to a voltage-whichis not quite suflicient for the ignition of a glow discharge, a very feeble discharge current is.

5 produced which lights up the gas charge in the tube or lamp near the anode. This is quite the opposite of what takes place with a normal glow current namely, the formation of a glow layer near the cathode.

The slope of a curve representing this preglow-discharge is essentially steeper than that of the normal glow-current and intersects the axis of the abscissa in contradistinction to the "curve ior the normal glow current.

' According to the invention the required low terminal voltage is produced by series connection in any combination of electrical devices similar to'the apparatus of Rahbek- Johnsen as shown for example inthe drawings andspecifications of the United States Patent No. 1,533,757, granted April 14, 1925.

For more accurate ad usting any well known auxiliary means may be used such as addibe combined with a shunt, and may also be arranged in voltage divider. When quite insignificant currents of any origin (for instance microphone currents, telegraphing currentsand the like) are superposed on the pre-glow current they cause, owing to. the'steepness of their curve characteristics, considerable variations of the intensity of current which variations release very strong mechanical effects in the Rahbek-Johnsen arrangement.

In the. accompanying drawings Fig. 1 illustrates the characteristic curves of the pre-glow discharge and its relation to that of the glow discharge.

Fig. 2 showsin a 'diagrammaticalview the use of the Rahbek-Johnsen arrangement tional series resistance, in some cases it may the form of a so called the diagrammatic illustration this increase I of the current intensity is shown much smaller than it is in reality. When the increasing of the voltage continues the current intensity increases also, however not so .rap idly as at the pre-glow discharge. litheentire surface of the cathode is covered with glow-light, as supposed at point D, a;furthe'r increase of the voltage causes only afslight' I increase of current intensity. Tithe voltage -1s then decreased a curve is obtained which coincides accurately with that at increasing voltage. At the point C,-,where the glow discharge has started, =n'o reversing to the pre-glow discharge takes place, and the voltage can be still turth er reduced down to point E. If this:point E is situated, as in Fig. 1, at the right of point A the glow discharge reversesto a pro-glow discharge, the current intensity dropping suddenly to the. considerably lower value of the point F. 5 If point E is at the left of point A the discharge .current extinguishes completely.

At. the glow discharge the ignition voltage (point C) is higher than the extinguishing voltage (point E) and the curve begins and ends above the abscissa axis; at the preglow discharge ignition and extinguishing voltage coincides (point A) and the curve begins and ends on the abscissa axis. It is, I therefore, possible to produce pre-glow cura5 rent of any degree of feebleness,-while for l the glow discharge a-low limit bf voltage exists. The characteristic of the pre-glow discharge is extraordinarily steep and clearly linear, that of the glow discharge is much 00 flatter and strongly bent, from which it results that the pre-glow discharge is superior to the glow discharge for all purposes of strengthening, exciting and detecting of os-- ClllEItIOIIS The values of the terminal voltage used in Fig. 1 comprises the loss of voltage in a series resistance without which glow-discharge tubes cannot be worked.

Instead'of the series resistance any arrangement of Rahbek-Johnsen is used 3.0- cording to the invention. Fig. 2 shows-this by way of example; Member 1' is a rotating cylinder of a semi-conductor, f a metal foil' conducted over said cylinder, said metal foil bein connected at the one end by a thread foil a pull is exerted on the diaphragm. lit a suflicient voltage is imposed between members r and f the electrostatic attraction between the two produces a considerable increase of the resistance from friction and consequently of the pull exerted upon the diaphragm. If a feeble alternating volt age is'superposed on this voltage the 'dia-' phragm vibrates in the rhythm of the same. The amplitude of these vibrations is the greater the stronger the superposed current is. As at the pre-glow discharge slight alterations of the voltage cause considerable alterations of the current intcnsity,a preglow discharge gap is inserted in the circuit,

according to the invention, 6 is a battery, '1;

- a pre-glow-light tube, 6 the secondary winding of a transformer the primary winding of which forms asecond circuit with a microphone m and a galranlc battery 6. "When thernicrophon'e is talked into clectromotive forces are induced in the secondary winding.

tore correspond approximately to the average ating current.

value from the ignition voltage of the preglow-discharge and ignition voltage of the glow discharge. When, however, the battery voltage were equal to the ignition voltage of the pee-glow discharge the arrangement would act as detector (similar to an audion) and act only on the positive or only on the negative) semi-Waves of a superposed alterlit is, evidently, also possible to apply, instead of alternating current, continuous current impulses to permit the .insufiicient to cause a t lamp but sufiicient to vary the potential of an incense.

use ot' the arrangement for the long-distance transmission of Morse signals. In this case a recording style instead of the diaphragm may be controlled, in a manner known per so, by the arrangement system Rahbek-Johnsen.

1. Apparatus for the production of mechanical eilects by electric currents comprising in combination an "electrical glow discharge devicc, a circuit therefor, a source of electric energy in said circuit to furnish pro-glow current, electro-static members in the circuit, one of said members being movable, and means for super-posing electric current on the pro-glow current of said glow lamp to permit variation of charge on said movable member.

2. The method of amplifying variations of electric current in a circuit which consists in supplying to a glow lamp therein current glow discharge in the electro mechanical device.

The method of producing variations of and utilizing said variations to produce me-,

chanical power.

4. The method of detecting weak electrical oscillations which consists of applying them to a glow discharge device in the state of pre-glow dischar "e and thereby operating an electro-mechamcal device.

5. The method of detecting weak electrical oscillations which consists of applying them to a glow discharge device at a potential of ignition of pie-glow discharge and thereby rectifying said oscillations, and'applying the rectified oscillations to an e'lectro-meehanical system. I

in testimony whereof ll afix my signature.

JOHANNES lllltil i'AEll. SCHHHIERER.

mechanical force in a circuit which consists 

